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Herbs & Plants

Hydrophilia

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Botanical Name: Hydrophilia spinosa
Family: Acanthaceae
Genus: Hygrophila
Species: Spinosa
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiospermae
Order: Personales

Synonym: Asteracantha Longifolia.
Parts Used: Root, seeds, dried herb.
Habitat: India, widely distributed in the sub-tropical regions of the world.

commonly known as: Marsh barbel Bengali: KULEKHARA, shulamardan  Hindi: gokula kanta, kantakalia  Kannada: kalavankabija, kolavalike, kolavanke  Konkani: kalaso Malayalam: culli, voyal-chullai   Marathi: kolisa, kolshinda, talimkhana  Sanskrit: kokilaksha, shrinkhali Tamil: nirmulli Telugu: kokilaksakamu, niti gobbi

Description:
perennial herb, 1-2 m high … erect unbranched stems, hairy near swollen nodes … flowers in 4 pairs at each node … the 3 cm long purple-blue flowers are 2-lipped – the upper lip is 2-lobed and the lower one 3-lobed with lengthwise folds … flowers bloom in opposite pairs.

..Click to see thye picture..>...(01)..…..(1).…...(2)........(3)..….……..

The name is derived from the Greek, and refers to the medical doctrine of fluids in the body. It has tapering roots, a number of rootlets, and upright square stems; leaves and branches opposite, nodes swollen near them; the stem and leaves have three- to five-celled stiff hairs. Flowers, four pairs awl-shaped and like leaves in shape. Corolla glabrous on lower lip. Fruit has four to eight flattened brownish seeds, which contain a quantity of strong mucilage. The drug has no special odour or taste.

Constituents: Chiefly mucilage, fixed oil, phytosterol, and a trace of an alkaloidal substance, properties similar to Couchgrass.

Medicinal Action and Uses:
Demulcent and a diuretic for catarrh of the urinary organs; the dried herb and root, or rhizome, has long been used in India for dropsy, especially when accompanied by hepatic obstruction. It is a popular aphrodisiac. In Southern India the root is the commercial part, but in Bombay the seeds are mostly used.

Preparation: Decoction, 2 oz. of root to 3 pints of water boiled down to 1 pint. Dose, 1/2 to 2 fluid ounces. Official in India and the Eastern Colonies.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hydphi47.html
Hygrophila auriculata (Schumach.) Heine

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249917/

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Fruits & Vegetables Herbs & Plants

Snake Groud

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Botanical Name : Trichosanthes cucumerina
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus:     Trichosanthes
Species: T. cucumerina
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots
Order:     Cucurbitales

Common names:Snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, and padwal
Snake Groud (Trichosanthes cucumerina) is a tropical or subtropical vine, raised for its strikingly long fruit, used as a vegetable and for medicine. Other names include (Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina ), serpent gourd, chichinga, and padwal. It is known as potlakaaya in Telugu, pudalankaai in Tamil, paduvalakaayi in Kannada and padavalanga in Malayalam. In Bengali It is called as chi chinga

Habitat :Snake gourd is found in the wild across much of South and Southeast Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), and southern China (Guangxi and Yunnan). It is also regarded as native in northern Australia. and naturalized in Florida,[6] parts of Africa and on various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans

 

The narrow, soft-skinned fruit can reach 150 cm long. Its soft, bland, somewhat mucilaginous flesh is similar to that of the luffa and the calabash. It is most popular in the cuisine of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The shoots, tendrils, and leaves are also eaten as greens.

click to see. the pictures

Description
: This vegetable produces long and curved fruits that appear like snakes hanging on the supports or ground. This subtropical plant grows very fast in warm climates and produces lots of fruits for a long time. It is best to grow this vine plant along the supports for obtaining young straight fuits. Young fruits are harvested and cooked like Luffa. Seed has hard coat and may take a long time to germinate. There are several varieties with different fruit skin and length grown in Asia. An interesting plant for home garden and fresh market.
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Propagation:
Snake Gourd has white male and female flowers and cylindrical , slender, tapering fruit(as shown in the picture)It turns orange when ripe and perple red at maturity. It needs insects to carry out the pollinating process for setting fruits. If the insects are not available in your area, the pollinating process can be done manually, by picking up male flowers and transferring pollens to femal flowers (face-to-face touching the center part of flowers). This process should be carried out when flowering is active during the daytime.

Medicinal Uses: The mineral and vitamin contents of the herb are calcium,phosphorous,iron,substential amount of carotene,little thiamine,riboflavin and niacin. Its calorific value is 18.
The plant is cardiac tonic.It counteracts feverishness. It is useful in restoring the disordered process of nutrition.It creats a coolingt effect on the body.It is low caloried food.Diabetics can safely reduce their weight while getting enough nutrition. It leaves are used in indigenous medicine in India.Its root serves as purgative and tonic where as its juice is strong purgative.

Indigestion: It aids to indigestion.Its leaves are useful as an emetic and purgative in children suffering from constipation.A teaspoonful of fresh juice can be given early morning to ailing children.The immature fruit can be eaten as fresh vegetable.

Heart disoders: The juice of fresh leaves is very useful in heart disorders like palpitations and pain in heart due to physical exertion.It should be taken thrice daily.

Jaundice: Infusion of the leaves of the herb is beneficial in the treatment of jaundice.It can be taken with decoction of coriander seeds thrice daily.

Fevers: A decoction of snake groud is useful in bilious fever. It is thirst reliever and laxative.Its efficiency increases if it is given with Chiratta and honey.In obstinate cases of fevers, a combined fution of this plant and coriander is more beneficial.A decoction of the leaves with the addition of coriander is also useful in bilious fever.

Other uses: The juice extracted from its leaves is used to induce vomiting.The latter is also applied locally as a liniment in case of liver congestion.In remitted fevers, it is applied over the whole body . The leaf juice is beneficial in the treatment of complete or partial baldness.

Precautions: The ripe fruit and its seeds are laxative but may cause indigestion. It should not be consumed as food.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:

http://www.evergreenseeds.com/sngosgo.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_gourd

Mirascles of bHerbs

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Herbs & Plants

Kantakari

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Common names of Bhatkatiya, Indian Nightshade
Biological Name:
Solanum indicum
Other Names: Brihati, Kantakari, Birhatta

Hindi name:Kateli, Ringani, Katai
. Gujarati name:Bhayaringni
Marathi name:Bhuirungani
Malyalam & Tamil name: Kandan Kathiri
Sanskrit name:Kantakari, Nidigadhika, Brihati
Telugu name:Nelamulaka, Vankuda.
Kanarese name:Chikkasande, Nele Rama-gulla
Description: This herb is found throughout India.
Parts Used:
Fruit, root, plant, seeds

The purple flowered species is most common. The traditional healers and natives specialised in medicinal uses of Bhatkatiya give preference to white flowered species. In reference literatures related to different systems of medicine in India, not much has been written on this white flowered species. Also, in reference literatures on botany, very little information is available. It is common belief among natives that the presence of white flowered species in wild indicates the presence of secret treasure around it. Many old natives informed that one can see this species in old forts and palaces, where according to belief, the secret treasures still exist. The natives involved in Tantra activities, consider the white flowered species most valuable.

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The crude drug extracts caused transient hypotensive effect which is partly inhibited by atropine. The gluco alkaloid, saponin and resin fraction increased the force of contraction of isolated frog’s heart and caused gradual rise in blood pressure levels. The alcoholic leaf extract, resinous and crystalline fi-acons caused contraction of dog tracheal chain while the glucoalkaloid and alcoholic stem extract after initial potentiation caused refractoriness to the constrictor responses of acetylcholine and histamine. Histamine releasing effects have been shown.

Roots are one of the constituents of Dasamulasava. The plant is useful in fever, cough, asthma, constipation. Seeds are used as diuretic. The juice of the berries is reported to he useful in sore throat. A decoction of plant is used in gonorrhoea and it also said to promote conception in females. A. clinical trial showed kantakari to be useful in cases of Kasa Roga (cough) and also in Tamakswasa (bronchial asthma). The plant has a definite effect in diminishing the intensity of cough and dyspnoea.

Actions Herb: aphrodisiac, astringent, cardiac tonic, carminative, cordial, resolvent. Root: diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant.

Medicinal Uses:
In Ayurveda, this herb has several uses. It is used for treating the following ailments:
Asthma, catarrh ,chest pains ,chronic fevers, colic ,cough, dry and spasmodic ,edema, gas, scorpion stings ,toothache, difficult urination, worms.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

References:

http://www.chakrapaniayurveda.com/kantakari.html
http://www.holisticonline.com/herbal-Med/_Herbs/h136.htm

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Fruits & Vegetables Herbs & Plants

Ash gourd(Winter Melon)

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Botanical Name :  Benincasa Hispada
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily: Cucurbitoideae
Tribe:     Benincaseae
Subtribe: Benincasinae
Genus:     Benincasa
Kingdom: Plantae
Order:     Cucurbitales

Common Names : winter melon, white gourd, winter gourd, tallow gourd, Chinese preserving melon, or ash gourd

It is called  in Hindi, Boodagumbala in Kannada or Kumbalanga in Malayalam, Upo in Tagalog), also called white gourd or ash gourd or petha, is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable. In Bengali “Chal Kumro“The fruit is fuzzy when young, giving rise to the name fuzzy melon . By maturity, the fruit loses its hairs and develops a waxy coating, giving rise to the name wax gourd, and providing a long shelf life. The melon may grow as large as 1-2 metres in length. The word “melon” in the name is somewhat misleading, as the fruit is not sweet.

Habitat : Originally domesticated in Southeast Asia, the winter melon is now widely grown in East Asia and South Asia as well. In North India it is cut into rectangular pieces and boiled in a sugar syrup to create a translucent, almost clear candy or sweet, and is often flavored with rose water. In this form it keeps and cans well allowing it to be sold in canned form around the world. In South India it is used to make curries.

The winter melon requires very warm weather to grow but can be kept through the winter much like winter squash. The winter melon can typically be stored for 12 months. The melons are used in stir fry or to make winter melon soup, which is often served in the scooped out melon, which has been intricately decorated by scraping off the waxy coating.

Occasionally, it’s used to produce a fruit drink which has a very distinctive taste. It is usually sweetened with caramelised sugar, which enhances the taste.

The shoots, tendrils, and leaves of the plant may also be eaten as greens.

Winter melon is a common name for the inodorus cultivar group of the muskmelon (Cucumis melo L), or one of its members alternatively known as casaba, honeydew, or Persian.

Description:
Benincasa hispida is an annual plant growing to 6 m (19ft 8in).
It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in leaf 10-Jun It is in flower from Jul to September, and the seeds ripen from Aug to November. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Bees.The plant is self-fertile.
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Cultivation:   
Requires a warm sunny position in a rich well-drained soil and plenty of moisture in the growing season[1, 200, 238]. Established plants are reasonably drought tolerant[206]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.8 to 6.8. This species is not very frost hardy, it is best grown in a greenhouse in Britain[86] but can succeed outdoors in good summers if started off in a greenhouse and planted out after the last expected frosts. Plants require stable temperatures in excess of 25°c if they are to do well. Short daylengths and lower temperatures stimulate female flower development, higher temperatures stimulate male flower production. Plants take 5 months from seed to produce a mature crop, though the fruits can be eaten when immature. The wax gourd is frequently cultivated for its edible fruit in the tropics, there are many named varieties. One group, sometimes classified as B. hispids chieh-gua, is known as the hairy melon or jointed gourd. This form is grown for its immature fruit in much the same way as courgettes are used. Mature fruits of this form do not develop a waxy coating. The fruit can be harvested about 3 months after sowing.

Propagation:  
Seed – sow March/April in a greenhouse. Germination should take place within 3 weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on fast in a rich compost in the greenhouse. Try to maintain a minimum night temperature of at least 10°c for the seedlings first few weeks. Plant out in May/June after the last expected frosts

Edible Uses  
Edible Parts: Flowers;  Fruit;  Leaves;  Seed.
Edible Uses:

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Fruit – raw or cooked. Used as a vegetable, and in pickles, curries and preserves. The fruit can be eaten when it is young or old, it can be picked as early as one week after fertilization. A juicy texture with a mild flavour, the flavour is somewhat stronger in younger fruits. Because of its waxy coating, it will store for several months, sometimes as long as a year. Mature fruits can vary in weight from 2 – 50 kg. A nutritional analysis is available. Young leaves and flower buds are steamed and eaten as a vegetable, or are added as a flavouring to soups. Seed – cooked. Rich in oil and protein.

Medicinal Uses:

The wax gourd has been used as a food and medicine for thousands of years in the Orient. All parts of the fruit are used medicinally. The rind of the fruit is diuretic. It is taken internally in the treatment of urinary dysfunction, summer fevers etc. The ashes of the rind are applied to painful wounds. The seed is anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, laxative and tonic. A decoction is used internally in the treatment of vaginal discharges and coughs. In combination with Rheum palmatum it is used to treat intestinal abscesses. In Ayurvedic medicine the seed is used in the treatment of coughs, fevers, excessive thirst and to expel tapeworms. The oil from the seed is also used as an anthelmintic. The fruit is antiperiodic, aphrodisiac, diuretic, laxative and tonic. It is used in Ayurvedic medicine in the treatment of epilepsy, lung diseases, asthma, coughs etc. The fruit juice is used in the treatment of insanity, epilepsy and other nervous diseases. Recent research has shown that the fruits contain anti-cancer terpenes. An infusion of the root is used in the treatment of gonorrhoea. Demulcent, salve. Facilitates pus drainage.

Asafoetida is extensively used in the treatment of nervous disorders of children.It is useful for alivating toothache.

It is useful for treating Respiratory disorders, Impotency,Hysteria,Spermatorrhoea and Stomac Disorders.

It is considered to be very useful in the treatment of several problems concerning premature labour, unusual pain,leucorrhoea,sterility,unwanted abortion and excessive manstruation. It excites the secretion of progesterone hormone.The herb is very useful for women after child birth.It can be taken with beneficial results during the post delivery period. It is also used as an antidote of opium.It counteracts the effect of the drug.

Other Uses:
Rootstock.

A wax that coats the fruit is used to make candles. The roots have considerable resistance to soil-borne diseases and they are sometimes used as a rootstock for melons and other cucurbits

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_melon
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Benincasa+hispida

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